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Ready to return? Several fairs, festivals returning to the Atlanta area

This time last year, the Atlanta Fair opened to the public. The iconic event with rides, entertainment and fair food planned to stay open for more than a month. After two weeks, organizers announced the fair was closing for the forseeable future as the COVID-19 pandemic started.

At this point, the Atlanta Fair has not announced plans to return in 2021.

But other organizers have made plans to return to the Peach State.

The Sugarloaf Mills Carnival opens in Lawrenceville March 18. It’s in town through March 28. The event includes rides, games, food and entertainment. For COVID-19 safety, organizers ask those attending to practice social distancing, don’t come if you have a fever, sanitize your hands and wear a face mask. Handwashing stations and hand sanitizers have been added to help.

Macon plays host to the Cherry Blossom Festival March 19-28. All events have been moved outdoors to ensure enough space for social distancing. CDC safety guidelines and executive orders from Macon-Bibb County will be followed. The festival includes a Fiesta Ball, dog and bed races, a parade, rides, concert and hot air balloon event.

The Ritz-Carlton Reynolds at Lake Oconee will host the Lake Oconee Food & Wine Festival March 19-21. The three day even includes over 200 wines from across the globe.

The North Georgia State Fair announced plans for its 2021 event from Sept. 23 to Oct. 3. The 2020 event was altered. Instead of offering the usual rides and games, it offered the Taste of the Fair instead. The event included plenty of funnel cakes, cotton candy, deep-fried Oreo cookies and other favorites over two weekends.

The Georgia National Fair in Perry plans to open Oct. 7-17.

It's Official...the 32nd Georgia National Fair will take place October 7-17, 2021 at the Georgia National Fairgrounds in...

Posted by Georgia National Fair on Tuesday, March 2, 2021

The Georgia National Fair typically includes concerts, livestock shows, home arts and more. The 2020 event was cancelled.

The Georgia State Fair hasn’t announced plans for the 2021 event. The 2020 event was held in October at the Atlanta Motor Speedway with COVID-19 guidelines in place.

The Georgia Strawberry Festival plans to host its event on April 24 in Reynolds. The festival includes a petting zoo, entertainment, fair food, a parade, weenie dog races and plenty of strawberries.

The Suwanee Beer Fest, originally scheduled for March, has been pushed back to June 26. A Beer Chaser 5K will be held March 20 with staggered start times instead.

The Booth Museum has cancelled its annual Chuck Wagon Gathering for 2021. It was slated for March. The Forsythia Festival scheduled for March 13-14, 2020 was suspended 24 hours before it was slated to open. There have not been any plans announced for a 2021 event.